The Truth Hurts
by Mekuru
Summary: White lies may be perceived to be good for protecting people you care about. But wouldn't you rather be hurt with the truth than be hurt with a lie? Rated M: Minor coarse language & minor suggestive themes later. -Chapters are longer after Prologue. Mainly Naru/Saku, but includes other pairings.-
1. Prologue - Before the deception

AN: This is a re-do of my older story that I deleted. I hope it teases your imaginations. ^-^

* * *

Grief. Mourning. Anger. The three emotions which stirred from the destruction that befell Konohagakure.

Their cries of sadness brought the village into a state of depression. Many corpses were buried and what was left of the villagers gathered at the Monument of Heroes. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, spoke heartfelt words and encouragement that the villagers would not forget. This was also the day the law of speaking of or about the Kyuubi and its Jinchuuriki to the next generation was formed.

It had only been a day since that tragic day, yet being a village centered on ninjas, they had already begun reconstructing what they could and mourned for all the loved ones they have lost in the midst of everything. There was no time to stop and talk to others about the good times.

The busiest of all was the Hokage, Sarutobi.

"Hm," he clasped his hands behind him and stared warily at his former teammates. "This is truly disheartening news, old friends." They were discussing in a room bound with seals which prevents information from leaking out. It was not as extravagant as their meeting room, but it did its job well. It was a secret chamber for the Hokages and a select few, thankfully it did not perish as it was neatly tucked away underground.

"It is a fact that the council will not allow you to adopt him." Mitokado Homura, the second aging man stated the obvious before adding, "There is no need."

Sarutobi closed his eyes in thought. "But they will allow lodging and allowance monthly. That is the same idea as adopting him into my home."

Their female member, Utatane Koharu shook her head. "They are doing what is best for the people. Think of the kind of uproar they will bring if news of you adopting the jinchu-"

"His name is Naruto." He opened his eyes with a fierce fire and gazed at them. "He will not be addressed as anything but in my presence. Regardless of your council positions." The other two frowned slightly but knew better than to anger their friend. He didn't become a Hokage without a reason.

"Until he is old enough to understand basic needs, he will be placed in the orphanage." She placed the documents on the table between them. "One Anbu guard will be present at all times if he…happens to lose control."

"I will pick the most suitable amongst our Anbu." He saw them fidget at his proclamation, but he ignored it. "I do not want to argue about his adoption. He is only a baby and the seal is one I have never seen before, a powerful one." The seal he had seen on Naruto's abdomen was certainly one used to seal a Bijuu into a human, but from the looks of it, it had been modified.

"Arrangements will be made as soon as possible." Homura paused. "About our other matter, we are currently monitoring them. There has been no update on their status."

"I see." Sarutobi visibly frowned as wrinkles creased his forehead. They were done talking at this point and his two teammates left to tend to other affairs. Once they had left the room, an Anbu appeared from within the shadows. "You know what you have to do. I expect reports at the end of each day."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The masked ninja bowed and disappeared as quickly as they had come.

He unclasped his hands, picked up the scrolls and left the protected room. "He must use his mother's name for his own safety." A faint hint of a smile worked its way up. "Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

**Four years later…**

There was nothing but the remains of the village left. It was truly a sad sight for one's eyes. What was built in years only took mere days to destroy. He could see no hints or signs of life here. The famous copy-cat ninja, Hatake Kakashi, was sent on a Rank B reconnaissance mission. It may have been simple to others, but it was the location that bumped it from a C to B.

Kakashi moved a piece of debris, hoping to at least find something, but to no avail. He had been at it for three days now. "Uzushiogakure, huh?" The whirlpools surrounding the village proved to be quite an interesting feat to get past. If it wasn't for the Yondaime's wife, he would have been a goner. Thank goodness for her slip of the tongue.

_Not one of them has returned here in years. They are wise in staying away from their homeland._

The country had close ties to Konohagakure and two of their ninjas were born in said place; albeit those ninjas' reason for coming to Konoha was not a pleasant one. Before the war, the village was feared for their excellent skill in sealing techniques which lead to their drastic downfall.

"Now is as good as any to head home." Kakashi had prepared a scroll with his findings, which wasn't much; it revolved around the unchanged state of the village and that there were no signs of human life.

KA-BOOM!

He pulled out a kunai and went into a defensive stance. Was someone here and trying to ransack the beat down village? "What in the world was that explosion for?" Kakashi was already moving after having sensed chakra. "Must move quickly." The direction of the explosion was easy to spot, but the chakra spike he felt earlier was very familiar.

His Sharingan eye was visible for all to see.

* * *

Sarutobi was surprised, but you could not tell with the mask of indifference he kept up. Kakashi had just returned, grimy as a ninja should be after a mission, but with extra baggage. "Care to explain?"

"Gladly, Hokage-sama." The bundle in his arms raised curious questions from the village guards, but since it was Kakashi it was more than likely pertaining to a top secret mission. No one knew what was really underneath. "I inspected the village as requested, every detail of my search can be found here." With one hand, he produced a scroll and placed it upon the Hokage's desk.

"And?" Sarutobi didn't acknowledge the scroll but merely kept his gaze on whatever it was in his arms.

"There was an explosion. At first I thought it was thieves but normal thieves would not have been able to penetrate the whirlpool barrier without knowing the proper way. I quickly sensed one, maybe two chakras and headed there quickly." He paused as he was perplexed at what had happened next. "When I arrived at the site, the chakra signatures had disappeared. As if they were never there in the first place. My take on that is that they were highly classed ninjas."

"That is a high possibility if they were able to escape even you, Kakashi."

He took no offense to that. "If I had only been quicker, I would have been able to tell if they were in the bingo book." He shook his head. "Although I failed to see who, I found something else amidst the rubble." Kakashi took this moment to reveal what he had been hiding.

"Is that…"

"Yes."

"Hm, are you thinking what I presume you are?"

"We need to verify."

"Indeed." Moments later an Anbu with weasel emblazoned mask appeared. "Leave your report here and have Yamanaka Inoichi come immediately." The Anbu bowed and set about to do as told.

It wasn't long before Inoichi knocked on the door and entered the room. He politely bowed at Sarutobi, "You requested me, Hokage-sama?"

"We are in need of your abilities. It's vital that whatever you discover is not to be spoken of to anyone outside of this room without my permission. Is that clear?"

"I understand." Sarutobi nodded in affirmation and explained what they wanted done. "I need to be very careful to avoid brain damage…" Inoichi was caught off guard by his request.

Kakashi explained a little more. "We do not need an interrogation. Focus on the memories if at all possible."

"Even if it is only memories, I still need to be careful for one so young." He walked closer to the bundle in the other ninja's arms and placed his hands over their head. "I'll begin now." The room went into silence, with the occasional breathing of air. Minutes passed before Inoichi's eyes snapped open and he took a step back. "This child..." He widened his eyes at Kakashi, to which he raised an eyebrow, before turning to Sarutobi.

The two were quite curious as to why he would react as such. Sarutobi narrowed his eyes. "Tell us immediately."

* * *

"Itadakimasu!" The boy clapped his hands in thanks before digging into his ramen. "Ahhh that hit the spot!" He grinned in triumph and gulped down his glass of milk with ease. Picking up the now empty cup of ramen, he threw it into the nearby trash and placed his glass into the sink.

He wasn't one for leaving a mess, especially in his own home. He had been reprimanded enough times from Sarutobi. Today being the worst day of the year, deciding that it was safer being indoors than roaming the village streets. Yet that didn't stop some villagers from breaking his windows with rocks. Some of which had notes written on them such as, 'Leave the village!' and 'DISAPPEAR!'

He took none of them as seriously as he should, but it still hurt. He was merely a boy yet they treated him so poorly. That was the reason why he ran away from the orphanage last year. At least they were smart enough to let him have a place of his own, albeit small. He was all alone after all.

"Huh?" He turned his head to his apartment door. It was suddenly quiet outside, which was strange. He walked towards the door cautiously, holding a kunai at his back, and opened it. "Oh. It's just you." Opening the door wider, he left the person at the door and walked back to the sink.

The elder man motioned behind him before walking in and locking the door. "It is a pleasant sight that you have been listening to me, Naruto." He surveyed the room in what could be perceived as clean.

"Whatever, Jii-chan." Naruto rolled his eyes and placed his glass to dry on a towel. "Why are you here of all days?" He turned around and gazed at him with his hardened blue eyes.

Sarutobi wasn't surprised by the look in his eyes. "I have come with a gift."

The light in the boy's eyes sparked momentarily before they narrowed. He had never received a present, why now?

The Hokage chuckled amusingly before he side stepped to reveal what was behind him. "I want you to meet someone."

Behind him was a child, a girl, and was peering at Naruto with a curious gaze. She had short, red hair with a small ponytail at the top of her head, and violet-blue eyes. She had hints of baby fat still left, but would eventually lose it as she got older. There was a faint scar on her left hand.

"What kind of a present is this?"

"Now, now, Naruto." Sarutobi led the child closer to him. "That is no way to treat a relative." Blue eyes widened in disbelief. "She is a relative from your mother's homeland."

"My mother…"

"She, too, is an Uzumaki." He smiled and pulled Naruto closer. "There was an accident and she was found all alone. Right now, you are the only family she has."

Naruto gulped and stared into the eyes of the girl. "I have…family…" Blue eyes clashed with violet-blue until the Hokage broke the silence.

"Officially, we will have her registered as your cousin." He closed his eyes and headed for the door. "But you must treat each other as brother and sister. You will be the same age and today marks the day of your new lives together."

The boy was at a loss for words, but managed to utter one thing. It was directed at the girl. "Name?"

The Hokage shook his head disappointedly. "She is unable to speak, Naruto, so you must-"

"Uzumaki…" Sarutobi widened his eyes in slight surprise. "…Naomi." Her voice was soothing and tickled your ears, yet still young, but she could speak contrary to the Hokage's words.

Naruto's smile was wide as he cried tears of joy and proceeded to hug the girl. "Welcome to the family, Nao-chan! I'm your new brother, Naruto!" She was bewildered at first before hugging him back and genuinely smiling.

_Happy…_

He blinked and looked at Sarutobi wondering if he heard right. No, it wasn't him that spoke. He looked down at the slightly shorter girl in his arms. Was it her? Naruto shook his head, "Thank you for the present, Jii-chan! I will protect her with all I have!" The boy exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm.

Sarutobi nodded and opened the door. "Tomorrow, a bunk bed will replace what you have now." He closed the door to leave the two to get to know each other better. "Protect them at all costs."

The weasel Anbu nodded in affirmation. He had been hard at work keeping the area around the apartment secured. He was the reason no rocks or people had been disturbing them from the moment the Hokage arrived.

"Your task will become more difficult in the coming days, but I know you are able to handle it." He patted the Anbu's shoulder gently.

"I will satisfy your expectations, Hokage-sama."

"I know you will, Uchiha Itachi."

Sarutobi left the Anbu to work on his task, papers that needed signing, mission debriefings and everything else that was left for a Hokage to do. _Life of a Hokage is never easy._

Itachi stared at the door through his mask. "Uzumaki Naruto and Naomi." With his index and middle finger, he poked the door. "I will make sure the both of you and my brother grow up well." He disappeared to deal with another passerby that was planning to sabotage the now peaceful apartment.

Thus marked the end of the fourth year of October 10th, as eventful as it was, this was only the beginning for what was to come.


	2. Chapter 1 - Bonding

AN: Glad to see many people read it. Thank you to dbzgtfan2004 and sortofbored for asking to me to continue! Thanks to the ones who added it to their favorites even though it was only a prologue. x]

* * *

The new bunk bed was being put together in the apartment by people the Hokage trusted would do their job. He didn't want to stay around and watch them so Naruto decided to take his sister out and get her to know the village a bit more, maybe introduce her to some other kids their age he secretly played with. It was the day after they officially became family.

As they walked hand-in-hand down the streets, people had looks of surprises, curiosity and disgust. He did his best to not pay attention to them and focused on explaining what was where. But once in awhile he would glance at Naomi and see her casting the villagers' blank stares, wondering why they pulled so much attention. He would have answered, but he did not know how to explain it. He didn't know the true reason either because it was certainly not because they found him holding hands with another child that they have not seen before.

"Naruto…Naru." They stopped walking, forgetting about the attention they were receiving. Naomi brightly smiled at him. "Naru!"

He beamed at her in pride, his heart warming up. "Hey! You said my name!" It was her special name for him. "We'll get you talking like normal in no time!" She continued to smile with eyes closed as he pulled her along, occasionally swinging their hands between them until they reached their next destination. "Nao-chan, this is Ichiraku Ramen." He grinned and pulled her inside the stand. "The BEST place to eat!"

The owner heard the loud and familiar voice, coming out from behind the curtain. "Why, hello there, Naruto!" He smiled, one of the few people that did not treat the boy with indifference. "I am glad to hear you say that, but you forgot this the other day." Teuchi winked as he pulled out a piece of paper from his apron pocket and slid it over the table.

Naruto let go of his sister's hand to see what it was. "Oh! I wondered where it went." He sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of his head before taking it and stuffing it in his shorts pocket. It was his strip of coupons for free ramen. "Thanks, oji-chan!"

"You're welcome, Naruto." Really, he didn't understand what all the fuss was about such a young boy. A kid was a kid and they needed to help kids grow up properly. "And who is your little friend here? This is the first time you came with someone." The two children were about the same height, the girl being slightly shorter and looked about the same age. He noticed how the girl suddenly grabbed a hold of Naruto's sleeve, but didn't shy away and seemed to study the older man.

The smile on Naruto's face was bright and full of joy, making Teuchi smile without thought, it was contagious. "This is Naomi. She's not my friend but my sister!" The elder man stared in surprise. "Nao-chan, this is Teuchi-oji-chan, he makes the best ramen in the world!"

She stared at him for a few moments before turning to Teuchi and smiled at him, "Teuchi-oji-chan."

_Wow, they smile exactly the same._ The man noted and smiled back at the girl. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Naomi."

"That's great, Nao-chan!" Her brother exclaimed, excited. He saw Teuchi become confused. "She doesn't speak like everyone else does. I've only heard her say her name, mine and now yours." His one arm hugged the girl and laughed. "She's improving!" He grinned and his sister seemed to be giggling but without sound, he could only tell because her shoulders were shaking and a smile was visible.

Feeling slight pity for Naomi's speech impediment he clapped his hands. "I say we celebrate with some ramen for her improvement, my treat."

Naruto's eyes beamed, but then he frowned. "I can't today; I have to bring her somewhere before it's too late."

That was a surprise, Naruto never turned down free ramen. Perhaps he's developed a little bit of responsibility now that he has someone to look after. No matter how strange it looked when he had no parents to even produce a sibling, let alone someone his age. "Okay, we'll do it the next time you are here. Take care, you two." The children waved, smiling, and left the stand to go about their business.

_Very kind…_

Teuchi blinked. He was in a daze before his daughter snapped him out of it as customers placed an order and he needed to get started on it. He would soon forget about what he heard until years later.

* * *

Back with the siblings, they were currently headed to a place Naruto frequently ventured to. The small squeeze of his hand made him turn his head to Naomi. "Hm?" She tilted her head as if to ask where they were going. "I want you to meet some more people."

They were silent the rest of the way, but as they reached a grassy, kind of forested area they could hear different voices from a distance. They got closer, and stopped a few feet from where they could pinpoint the voices. "I'll be right back, Nao-chan. I need to see if it's okay for you to come out." She nodded, not a trace of fear of being left alone, and he dashed out to the group of boys.

"Just in time, Naruto!" A boy with dark brown hair exclaimed, a small white dog by his side barked. "We didn't think you'd show up since we didn't see you at all yesterday."

_Haha…yesterday._ He grinned and glanced back at the spot where he left the girl. _Never again._

"Oi! What are you grinning like an idiot for? Are you in or not?" The boy pointed to the pile of candy the boys had thrown together. "We were going to start when you showed up."

"Is it alright if I introduce someone?"

"Huh? You found a new kid to join? Oh well, more candy for me." He said without fault, as if he had already won the pot of candy before they had even begun.

Naruto shook his head. "No, nothing like that." He paused. "Well, she might want to join. I have to ask her."

"You brought a _girl_?!"

He laughed. "Not just any girl, but my _sister_."

Another boy raised a brow, "A sister? Are you positive?"

"She's an Uzumaki like me, but she's my sister, Shikamaru."

Said boy shook his head and sighed. "She's not your _real_ sister, Naruto. Your parents are not alive and she wouldn't be the same age as you if she was."

"Okay, fine, she's my cousin. I met her yesterday…"

Shikamaru grew suspicious immediately. "At the very least she is only a relative." Perhaps they exempted her from interrogation since she was so young. They could be waiting until she was a bit older. "Or worse, she could be a spy or an enem-"

Naruto grabbed a fistful of the boy's shirt and pushed him up against a tree. He was angry, very angry. "Don't you _dare_ say that she's an enemy," He growled. "You don't even know her."

"And you think you do?" This only further raised Naruto's anger.

"Whoa whoa calm down! Shikamaru was just being Shikamaru! You know how he is…" Kiba ran up to both boys as all the others were too shocked. Naruto had never exploded like that before. "Right, Shikamaru?"

_Troublesome._ He thought but knew better than to anger the boy further. "What Kiba said, blame my brain. Sorry." It took a few more seconds before he lowered him back to the ground. Although they had the same body figure Naruto was still able to lift him with little effort. _Note to self: never be on the receiving end of Naruto's anger._

He stared at the ground to calm down so as not to scare Naomi when she came. "It was Jii-chan that told me." He gazed back up at the boy with a ponytail, eyes full of trust. "Would you dare doubt the Hokage?"

* * *

As soon as he left her alone, she looked up at a tree to the left. The branches swayed with the wind and sometimes a leaf would be separated and fall slowly to the ground. That wasn't what she was admiring, however, and continued to stare through the trunk of the tree with intensity. She didn't know it yet but she wasn't one to give up.

"Kuro-nii-chan." Silence. She furrowed her eyebrows and raised her voice, "KURO-NII!"

Without hesitation he jumped down from the tree and landed in front of her. This was the second time he had revealed himself to her, the first being when the Hokage first brought her to Naruto. How she knew he was even there was a mystery to him. He didn't bother to conceal his chakra since he was around children, but he underestimated her.

_Maybe she's a sensory-type._

That satisfied smile on her face drew even more questions out of him, none of which he voiced. He bent down to her height, "Why do you call me Kuro, hm?" She innocently pointed and gently tugged at his ponytail. He chuckled, "I cannot tell you my true name because I am on duty as an Anbu." He tapped his mask as if to prove his point. "But if we ever do meet while I'm not, pretend you do not know me as Kuro. Speak to me as whoever my true self is."

She looked confused for a moment at being told to pretend she didn't know him. "Uzumaki Naomi," She pointed at her chest, introducing herself. He laughed, she smiled. It was her special way of agreeing to his condition. "Kuro-nii?" Underneath his mask he was smiling at the young innocence of the girl and rubbed her head. Naomi found it strange, but she liked it and drew closer to him. He continued to do so until he heard a voice.

"Nao-chaaan!" It was Naruto and it looked like it was okay for her to join them now.

Her ears perked up and moved away from the Anbu, staring at where the voice was coming from. "Naru." The girl turned back to the masked man, seeing him nod she waved and ran off towards her brother and his friends.

Itachi observed as he perched upon another tree. The children were introduced to the girl and vice versa. They talked for a bit, with the white puppy jumping into the girls arms and then protectively barking at anyone that got close to her. Kiba was annoyed that his companion abandoned him in mere seconds and was only put back in a joyous mood when they started their race and he won all the candy. Although he had to bribe the puppy to come back to him by giving some candy to Naomi as a consolation for being their new friend.

The boys left to go home before their parents came looking for them. The Uzumakis' said goodbye but stayed back and had some fun. Itachi watched as Naruto showed her how to use a kunai and after a few tries, she noticed the blond throwing it slightly off and adjusted his wrist. After half an hour, they hit their mark ninety percent of the time. Then they decided to step up their fun and move onto something else.

"Perhaps we'll be meeting in person sooner than planned." He kept a lookout for the two as he watched them try something they wouldn't learn until later in the academy. "Maybe Sasuke will want to come."

* * *

All the papers had been processed, much to his satisfaction. The council would not be on his case and nitpicking all the details of why and how she could be otherwise. The Yamanaka's official statement in the document would be all the evidence they need in order for her to stay in Konoha. They could try and find a loophole all they want, but an Uzumaki will always be an Uzumaki. In fact, he was heading over to the apartment to see how they were, even after having only just seen them the previous night.

Sarutobi stopped in front of the door, noting Itachi's absence as he had been dismissed for the day. It was a little too quiet, especially with a home occupying two four year olds. He looked to the small circular window and could see some lights on which meant they were home. He knocked on the door a few times and didn't have to wait long until it opened. "Hello, Naruto. How is the new bed?"

"Jii-chan! Wow, I feel like I'm seeing you a lot lately." The boy closed the door behind him and led him into the bedroom area. "It's great! I get the bottom bunk! I'm scared of falling off and hurting myself in my sleep. Plus Nao-chan seems to like high places." Naruto crossed his arms behind his head and watched as Sarutobi looked around the room. "What's wrong, Jii-chan?"

"Hm… it was very quiet when I arrived." He didn't see girl in the room and that stirred many questions.

Naruto laughed when Sarutobi kept looking around the apartment. "Watch me, watch me!" He made sure he had the man's attention before facing a wall and then walking upwards horizontally and then reaching the ceiling; he began to walk upside down. Naomi was standing upside down there with him and seemed to be laughing silently.

"How did you learn to do that?" They weren't supposed to learn how to walk on walls until at least having been in the academy for about a year. They should only know how to run up walls at the earliest, yet they weren't even registered at the Academy. Their chakra control must be good if they can achieve this at their age.

"Nao-chan and I were talking about becoming ninja's and I told her a story about how I saw one _run_ up walls to go inside the second story window of their home. Then she asked why they weren't walking up or why they didn't use the door. It stumped me so we made a game out of it and somehow we got to this." He pointed to their feet that look like it had been crazy glued to the ceiling but he could feel the chakra radiate from them.

Sarutobi did a double-take, how did they reach an ending to control chakra? "What do you mean talked?"

The Uzumakis' looked at each other before flipping back down to the ground. "Ummm, it's a whole lot easier if we just show you." After a couple of minutes and a book, the elder man understood. "Is this something that happens to anyone?"

"No, no it is not." He rubbed his chin in thought before becoming serious. "You must not tell anyone of this until you become a part of a team that you can trust your life with. For now make use of that book."

The children's eyes brightened up and Naruto couldn't hold it in, "We can become ninjas?!"

He chuckled, "You will be placed in the academy until you pass the exam, but that will be years from now." Despite the protests of the council, he was willing to enroll them, especially Naruto. Keeping him from becoming a ninja only because he housed a tailed beast was a poor excuse. He was a Konoha resident and therefore had every right to gain abilities to protect those he cared for.

"Did you hear that, Nao-chan? I'm one step closer to becoming Hokage!" He hugged the girl and laughed; she smiled at him and hugged back.

"You'll have a lot of reading to do before you become a full fledged ninja. Think of that first before hoping to become the Hokage."

"I'm not _hoping_. I _will_ become Hokage." He said in all seriousness, no hint of the child in him. He was dead set on proving everyone wrong, gaining acknowledgment, trust and bonds. "I have to get used to reading a lot…gross…" Naomi nudged his side and rolled her eyes, he cheekily grinned at her in response.

_I have no doubt you will achieve that in the future, Naruto. It's in your blood._ Sarutobi nodded at the boy, not wanting to say more to provoke him. _Naomi, on the other hand, I'm not so sure of…_

"I need to set some rules regarding our secret. The first was that you cannot reveal this to anyone until you have graduated and have been placed in a team you can put your life on the line for and vice versa."

Naruto furrowed his brow, "Vice versa? What's that? Some kind of disease?" His sister stared at him. "Oh…oh! Okay."

"Secondly…" They talked late into the night as the Hokage set limits to what they can and can't do. It was a big headache, but it was very important. If it meant they could become ninja's, they were prepared to tackle anything. No matter how annoying it was to have it drilled into their young minds.

* * *

The sun was shining brightly in the sky, but the scene in a secluded part of the woods was not one of happiness. A group of kids had surrounded and poked fun at a girl, fun in their eyes but not for her. "You have such a big forehead!" One of the older kids slapped said forehead and she whimpered in pain. "Hahaha!" Then the whole group laughed as if it were the funniest thing in the world.

_Please..stop… _She crouched and hugged her knees, hiding her forehead, wishing they would go away. They always managed to find her if she hid from them, today was no different. Deep down, she wished she could be invisible. Then she would be able to hide her big forehead. Then again, _everyone_ wouldn't be able to see her and she didn't want that.

"Hey, kid, get up!" The one who slapped her forehead roughly pulled on her arm. She lost her balance and fell sideways. Unluckily for her, a piece of rock was jutting out of the ground and cut into her arm. She cried out in pain as blood seeped from the wound and tears escaped her eyes. "Hey, hey, we didn't do that!" The child signalled to the others to make a run for it.

No sooner had they turned around to run did a voice scream out in anger, "GET BACK HERE!"

She suddenly felt someone help her into a sitting position and touch the area where the rock protruded from her arm. She winced and tried to see what was happening. Through her tears all she could see was a bunch of blurry figures blending together, one supposedly standing over the figures and the one next to her.

"Naru!" It was a girl's voice, the one next to her. The girl was carefully holding her injured arm, supporting her as they now stood.

_Naru? Who's that…?_

A second hand took hold of her other arm and they started leading her somewhere. "Where…are you taking me…?" She suddenly felt so tired. Maybe it was from crying so much in the span of a few minutes. It really can exhaust a person. She felt no evil intent from them since they obviously saved her. No one answered her question as she passed out.

"…" Naruto adjusted his hold on the girl as her feet were now dragging on the grass, his sister doing the same. Naomi took out the rock from the now unconscious girl, wincing as more blood flowed. She bandaged it as best she could with a ripped piece of her shirt. "Well, that went well." She shook her head at him as they entered another forested area where they knew someone would be. "What? It's true, we managed to save her." Again, she shook her head and pointed at the wound. "Tch." He sighed and continued to walk. They avoided going to the hospital since Naruto hated it there and he knew they would treat him even worse if he brought in an injured child.

They finally reached a clearing that had obviously been used for a quick sparring match. "Hellooooo?! The Hokage sent us!"

A boy with black, somewhat spiked hair appeared, "Ah, shut up! You're too noisy and interrupting my training!" He was wearing a navy blue shirt and beige shorts. He was eyeing them with caution, noting how the blonde boy wore a white shirt that had a spiral design and black shorts. The red headed girl wore a yellow ninja top and a pair of blue shorts.

The siblings looked at each other before gently placing the unconscious girl against a tree. Once she was comfortable, Naruto acknowledged the boy.

"Hi, the Hokage sent us."

The boy shook his head and walk towards them, "Yeah, you said that already." He wondered why they were here in the first place, bringing someone injured, too.

"Ah, right." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. " I'm Uzumaki Naruto." He grinned and stuck out his hand.

He grabbed it and shook the hand, "Uchiha Sasuke." Naruto's eyes widened slightly, he had heard that name many times. "Oh? You've heard my name before, huh."

Naruto chuckled. "Well, yeah, who wouldn't? Your clan is practically a celebrity in Konoha." Sasuke's chest inflated and rubbed his nose at this. "And this is my sister." She stepped forward and held out her hand for a handshake. "Her name is Uzumaki Naomi."

"Huh." He shook her hand out of politeness. "So why are you guys here?" He looked behind them. "And who is that?"

"Well, we were supposed to meet with someone here for training and we ran into her on the way so we brought her along." Naruto shrugged his shoulders as if to say he had no idea what to do. "You don't happen to be the one to teach us some ninjutsu, right?"

"No, that wouldn't be me." He hadn't seen anyone else other than his brother. They were training together, after all. Or what was close to training together. He had come out because Itachi had told him training would be involved today, but nothing happened in the two hours they were here. "Say, why are you doing all the talking? Is she mute or something?" Naomi made hand gestures, none of which were hand signs for ninjutsu.

"She said, 'Is that going to be a problem?'"

"Huh? You know what she said?"

Naruto shrugged and cryptically replied, "Nao-chan's my sister I'm supposed to know." The true main reason for this was because they had studied sign language for the last four days. It was very tedious but they didn't give up and caught on quickly to what sign was which character. The alternative was for her to write invisible characters on his palm and he would read it out loud.

Sasuke frowned and turned on a serious tone. "No one can become a ninja if they can't speak. That's impossible!" He crossed his arms, "I suggest you give up now and go focus on something like cooking or laundry. Something safer." She made more hand gestures in quick succession and Naruto looked surprised. "What did she say now?"

He sweat dropped, "Well, uh it was, 'Jerk…feel pain!'...yeah…"

The other boy didn't have time to comprehend when he yelled out in anguish, "AHHHHHH! THAT HURTS!" He was on the ground, rubbing the spot where she had kicked him on the shin. Hard. She was able to get in close range and he couldn't dodge it at all! He nearly didn't catch another sign of hers through his pain. "What now?!" Tears pooled at the corner of his eyes. In his four years of life, he had never felt anything hurt as much as this.

"Do you really want to know?" Sasuke nodded and Naruto sighed. "Okay, 'For an Uchiha, you're such a dork. You are officially at the _very_ bottom of my 'want-to-be-friends-with' list. I'll prove you wrong!' …you really made her mad." For someone who couldn't speak, she sure said a lot. Naomi had walked back towards the unconscious girl and sat down, her back towards them. You could tell from her posture that she was annoyed. "To be honest, I would have reacted the same way if I didn't know she could fight her own battles." Did that mean the blonde could move as fast as her? Maybe even faster?

The pain had finally subsided, but it still tingled when he moved. "For a girl, she sure has some weird strength." He tested his leg some more before stretching.

"Now, now, little brother, that is no way to treat your fellow trainee." The boys watched as an older boy in his teens walked towards them.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke ran up to his brother. "Trainee? So you are the one that's supposed to teach them?" He frowned. "What about the training you promised me?"

"I'll be teaching you the same thing. Isn't it better to train with friends?"

"They're not my friends…" He glanced at Naruto and then Naomi. "…at least not her."

Itachi shook his head in disappointment. "It is better to be friends with her as well, Sasuke." He walked towards Naruto. "Hello, I am Uchiha Itachi. I am the elder brother and the one who will be teaching you as the Hokage instructed."

He bowed with enthusiasm, "Uzumaki Naruto! I'm excited to learn new things!" Naruto pumped his fist. "Anything to become a Hokage."

Sasuke scoffed. "Hokage? You?" Blue eyes flared in anger, but the eldest of the group intervened before things got out of hand.

"Sasuke." Itachi stared at his brother intensely.

He gulped and apologized. "Sorry, Naruto, I take it back. Having a goal to achieve is the best way to spur on your motive to get stronger."

"Itachi-nii-chan, we have an injured girl over there, could you look at her?" He pointed to the trunk where Naomi was still watching her sleep.

He walked over, kneeling down beside the red headed girl, smiling. "My name is Uchiha Itachi, I'm the one teaching today." She stared at him momentarily before grabbing his left palm and writing. "It's nice to meet you, Uzumaki Naomi." She nodded before a worried look appeared and pointed to the other girl's arm.

_It's the Haruno child._ He undid the makeshift bandage and surveyed the wound. The blood had stopped bleeding so much as it was beginning to clot. All in all, it was more of a surface wound than anything. Nothing he couldn't handle. He pulled out a bandage, some antiseptic and a cloth to clean the wound. "She'll be fine, it actually looks worse than it really is." Once he finished, Itachi walked back to the boys with Naomi following only after making sure the girl was alright.

"So what are you going to teach all three of us?" Naruto questioned as soon as he returned, he was watching them treat the girl previously. "What _can_ you teach us at the same time?"

Itachi chuckled. "We'll be doing some chakra control training." All three had a look of boredom emitting from their expression. "We'll be climbing trees."

"That's easy, we do that all the time." Naruto pointed out, the other two nodding their heads. After all, they were Konoha and leaves came from trees. There were plenty of trees.

"Without using your hands?" He questioned. Itachi showed surprise when only Sasuke protested. "Naruto? Naomi?"

"We…did that already…" He admitted, and scratched his head. Naomi nodded in confirmation.

"Show me how far you've gone up." Both Itachi and Sasuke were curious to see if they were telling the truth or not.

"Running or walking?"

"Your choice."

The Uzumaki's nodded at each other and took opposite ends of a tree. They chose to walk, but with a quick pace since it was a really tall tree. Less than a quarter of the way to the top, Naruto jumped down when he lost his footing.

"Argh, almost that time." He and the Uchiha's looked up to find Naomi standing at the tip, swaying with the tree as if she was one with it. "Haha, she can still make it up before me as usual."

That was certainly a surprise for Itachi. He didn't think they progressed that far. When he first saw them attempt this exercise days ago, he guessed they would only make it less than halfway. He would have to rethink how to approach what he'll show them.

Sasuke asked for tips from Naruto before attempting to climb the tree himself. He made it halfway before jumping down. "Argh, need to get up there."

"Don't worry! You already beat my first attempt. I barely reached the halfway mark."

"I'll catch up to you, Naruto, by tonight!" It was still the early afternoon, so they had more than enough time.

"You're on!" And the raced up the tree, the blonde still further ahead but the black haired boy slowly inching his way up with each attempt. Itachi sat on a rock and contemplated the next chakra exercise as the boys continued this training. An hour passed and the boys were inching closer and closer to the top and Itachi was giving them words of encouragement.

Naomi had come down earlier since she was now exempt from this training and sat by the only other girl there. The pink haired girl had actually begun to stir from her slumber and everyone else was too busy to notice, except for her. She patiently waited for the girl to get a bearing on her surroundings. When green eyes landed on her, she smiled and waved as a gesture of hello.

"Um, hi." She stared at the girl, confused. Naomi noticed and took a hold of the girl's left palm and began writing. "Uzumaki Naomi?" She nodded and wrote more. "My arm is okay and…" The girl felt the bandage, but little pain emitted from it. "…it's okay for me to go home now." She wondered if it was her that fixed her up. As if hearing her thoughts, Naomi pointed to an older boy a little further away. She could see him shouting up at a tree and then two boys jumping down before half-walking and half-running up the tree again. "What are they doing?" Her hand was taken again, "Chakra training by climbing trees with feet…? Better for a ninja."

"Oh, right, I'm Haruno Sakura." The two girls smiled at each other before Sakura continued their conversation. "So you want to be a ninja, too?" She nodded. "Do you think it is okay for me to join? I want to be a ninja, too." She wanted to be useful and not helpless like she always thought she was. Naomi contemplated it before pulling Sakura up and towards Itachi. He allowed her to after explaining she shouldn't exert herself and do what she can. Needless to say, she was the next to finish the task and the sun was just setting.

Both Naruto and Sasuke yelled out in unison, "AHH! Why are the girls beating us?!" To which the other three only laughed at.

It took them until dinnertime to finally finish.

* * *

In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi had just finished debriefing the next mission. It was a relief to have been able to convince his former student to return in order to leave once more. He knew how hard it was to have to return to the village under these circumstances. "I need you to do this."

The ninja, a spiky white haired man, shook his head. "You call me back just to take some kids away? For eight years? Are you going senile, Sarutobi-sensei?!" The Hokage didn't budge as they stared at each other, causing the other man to sigh. "Okay, say I do take them with me, what will the council say?"

"Regardless of what the council says, this is a mission from me personally, the Hokage. You cannot refuse, Jiraiya."

"Ahh, you and your way with words. I always hated how you did that. Especially since you've become Hokage there has been no way to avoid that." He crossed his arms in frustration, but had a smile on. "What do you want me to do?"

"Books for their teaching will be sealed in this scroll. The basic academy books they'll need." He placed a scroll on the desk. "Teach them anything to become stronger. But be careful with training Naruto in case the Kyuubi takes a hold of him unexpectedly. That would be a disaster."

"I'll keep an eye on the seal."

"Perhaps you could get them to sign your summoning contract in the future if you deem them worthy."

"Haha, that's assuming they can even survive." Jiraiya laughed then stopped, "But I don't see why I have to take the girl as well. Isn't it better for her to stay in the village?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "Naruto needs the support of family. In his mind, she is not only his Uzumaki cousin, but he treats her as his sister. I have seen the many changes he's taken since the two have met." He crossed his hands on the table. "There is a hidden potential that we have not yet uncovered unless they are raised and trained together."

"The girl, Naomi, can we trust her?"

"I have given you Inoichi's statement, the very same I gave to the council, is that not enough proof?"

"It's not that…it's just…"

"What is it, Jiraiya?"

He hesitated. "Can we fully trust a child who has no memories of the last four years?"


	3. Chapter 2 - It begins

AN: Sorry for the late update! This week was the busiest time of the year for work. Thank you for reading, everyone! Also, I gave in and made a twitter account which is MekuruFF and I'm warning you now, I have never explicitly used twitter before.

**BDG420**, I hope my reply was enough of an answer for you…! - **25BAM50**, Hehe thank you! - **demonfox2140**, I've never read the manga, but I'm glad I'm keeping it as they are. I wasn't sure if it was still in character or not. Haha, you'll just have to keep reading to find out! - **ArchAngel-Kagome**, You never know, I _may_ have another chapter up tomorrow or Monday!

* * *

The weather was nice today, as it had been the rest of the week. It was now the season of fall, with winter creeping up around the corner. It put a smile on her face despite all the bullying she had endured not that long ago. It had gotten to the point that they'd avoid her as soon as she was seen. It hurt a little to see them avoiding her, but she much preferred that than having dealing with more emotional pain.

"Sakura!"

Her ears perked up at the familiar voice calling to her and turned around, "Ino." It was her short haired blonde friend, her very first friend. Their mothers knew each other well and the rest was history. They had last met up again after her last incident, to which she said how she was saved by her new friends. Sakura didn't dive into details as to who they were though. She saw Ino wasn't alone today; a few girls were walking beside her. "I'm going to be late, Ino, do you need something?" Her mom kept her from leaving the house since she had been disappearing for longer times each week.

The girls each crossed their arms which didn't go unnoticed by her. "Why are you always clinging to Sasuke-kun?!"

She shook her head, confused, "I'm not clinging to him."

A girl, one of the brown haired ones she didn't know retorted, "Liar! We saw you secretly meet him and you looked so happy together. Then we couldn't find you guys anymore!" They were following her or rather following Sasuke! How creepy.

_Are they talking about yesterday? I bumped into him since we were heading to our training spot. I was only happy because we were getting stronger! Hold on, why am I talking to myself?_

"I went to go meet my friends and Sasuke," she felt their piercing glares burn holes through her, "-kun." Sakura flinched at how strong their feelings were for the young Uchiha. It was best to keep it a secret that they were calling each other by first names. Who knows what the fan girls would do to her. She might have turned out like them if she was being influenced. But her days had been filled with meeting the others and she hardly met up with Ino and the other girls anymore. Sakura found that thought disturbing. Would she really want to be that annoying?

Ino was disappointed. "Friends? You and Sasuke-kun?" She turned to her female companions and they laughed. "Like _the_ Uchiha Sasuke would be your friend." The blonde was upset with Sakura and had been jealous of how close she saw her and Sasuke were.

They continued to laugh at her. She was angry. Ino was her friend but didn't believe her. Friends weren't supposed to doubt, right? Sakura wanted to yell at her until someone jumped between her and the girls. This someone had her arms spread out wide as if to block anything from hitting the pink haired child. It looked silly, but no one laughed. She knew who it was immediately because no one else had red hair like hers.

_Naomi…_

The girl looked over her shoulder as if she had heard Sakura's thought before looking back at Ino. She was shorter than the other girls, but the aura she radiated caused them to step back in surprise. It wasn't one of killing intent, but something that meant not to mess with her friend. She looked at each of the girls, engraving their faces in her memory.

"Oh my gosh, you're the girl my dad said not to talk to!" The brown haired girl yelled, "It's because you're always with Naruto." Naomi's eyes narrowed cautiously. "He's very bad! I was told that he's a monster because his parents abandoned him…" The other girls, including Ino, gasped. Sakura was surprised, but was more worried about her friend's reaction. She had gotten to know them a little better during training and could see just how close the Uzumaki duo was.

Everyone could feel that Naomi's aura suddenly shifted to the point where the air was suffocating. Her hands were clenched at her sides and her short hair spiked out at the ends. Her violet blue eyes portrayed fury. Although they couldn't understand it since they were young, the girl's chakra had spiked suddenly. All they knew was that it scared them.

Sakura needed to calm down the shorter girl as she didn't want to fight with Ino of all people. She knew just what the girl was capable of from training and now wasn't the best time to let them see it. "Don't listen to them, Naomi! You know your brother better than anyone." She tugged on the girl's short sleeve tanned blouse. "Let's go now or we'll get in trouble with Sensei." She saw a few adults stopping to watch the children, wondering why they were yelling early in the afternoon at each other. They would have passed it off as children being children, but even they could feel the tension in the air whether they were ninja's or not.

The girl closed her eyes suddenly, breathing to calm down and then opened them to stare at Ino before grabbing Sakura's hand and escaping with her. She wasn't fully calm, but she knew better than to rely on her emotions to hurt others. And that meant backing down and not being able to speak to defend Naruto of all people. She knew Sakura was right and they didn't want to upset the older Uchiha.

Ino suddenly found her voice again, "H-hey! We're not done yet!" She yelled out to the now faraway girls. Their objective was now ruined and they stood there in silence still slightly shaken from the mysterious girl. They were too young to understand how high of a chakra level the girl suddenly released, but they knew it was scary.

"Eek! It's Sasuke-kun!" The blonde was the only one who had enough composure to notice his presence. They couldn't believe it. "Oh my gosh!"

"Ah, shut up!" Sasuke groaned with annoyance. He hated all those idiotic screams whenever he came across the girls. He kept up a mask of indifference each time, hoping to dispel the illusion they had of him. It only raised the bar and he grew even more annoyed. Although he liked being praised as an Uchiha, they were going overboard. He felt like his ears were bleeding every time.

"What are you doing here?! I mean it's great that you're here!" All the girls blushed, he frowned.

Ignoring the question, he pointed to where Sakura and Naomi had disappeared to. "Those two are my _friends_." The girls gasped with surprise and he smirked at them. He had finally found something to make them speechless. "_Especially_ my friend Naruto." Sasuke had seen the whole exchange between his friends and the girls. It bothered him how they were the same age but they had the guts to go against someone they called a 'friend'. He had planned to step out of his hiding spot to speak his mind earlier when Naomi had beaten him to it. "Don't ever talk bad about him, alright?!"

Sasuke left the dazed girls before they could chatter more unnecessary topics at him. Somehow he was always one step behind Naomi. Her actions were always louder than words. It was brave of her to stick up for Sakura and silently challenge the taller girls. What he didn't understand was the strange power she momentarily displayed.

That definitely bothered him.

* * *

"HA!" The black haired boy threw a kunai at his opponent only for it to be deflected with a kunai of their own. The pink haired child discarded said weapon, saw an opening and aimed a low kick at his legs but she wasn't quite fast enough; he quickly jumped to avoid her foot. He had seen that coming but was suddenly met with a fist from the red haired girl. It would have connected if not for the blonde boy's intervention with his own hand, stopping the girl's momentum. Two hours had passed since they started their daily training routine. They were getting better at seeing each other's movements every day. It was now their fourth stand still.

The older of the bunch, Itachi, clapped his hands to gain their attention, "Break time!" The four children looked at one another before running towards him. He passed each of them a cup of water and some rice balls as they settled themselves on the ground around him. "You are all doing great for close range combat." He had taught them the basic taijutsu and decided it was best if they just moved their bodies and tried whatever fit their style. He often noticed that it was either the boys paired up against the girls or the Uzumaki's against the other two, but never the last possible pairing. He knew something had to have happened between his brother and the female Uzumaki. It would be a hindrance to them all if it continued further.

Naruto bit into his onigiri, savoring the taste. It wasn't often he was given food made by others and it had become normal to get free food during training. Free food was good food. "Oh yeah, Sasuke." He looked across from him to where he was sitting. "Why were you late? I mean even the girls were late but you were the last to get here." It was surprising since Itachi and Sasuke normally came together and were the first ones to arrive. They were brothers after all.

He shrugged his shoulder, calmly eating his food. Sasuke was a little embarrassed that he declared two girls his friends to the fan girls, but he wouldn't admit that. His first impression of Sakura was someone who was weak, but she had shown a lot of determination and was able to keep up with them and grew stronger little by little. That earned her the right to be his friend. Any girl that didn't give up because it was too hard and complained was okay in his books. Naruto was his obnoxiously loud rival who pushed him to his limits, but he had also become someone important in the one month they've known each other; his best friend. Although he wouldn't admit it out loud yet since boys don't blabber those kinds of things to each other anyway. They fought, but they had fun doing it. Naomi, on the other hand, had declared from the beginning that he was the last person she wanted to be friends with. She tolerated him when they were training, but barely regarded him when they weren't. She was a tougher opponent than his other two friends because she couldn't speak; her silent attacks unnerved him. And the fact that her movements were so fluid and silent didn't help. He labeled Naomi as a shadow.

Itachi watched as emotions flickered through his brother's eyes as he unknowingly kept stealing glances at Naomi with curiosity. It was time for the real training plan to start. "I will be keeping you in groups of two from now on. Each group will focus on one type of training and I will tell you what to focus on each week." Naomi stood up to go to Sakura, but he continued before she could. "Naruto, you and Sakura will practice walking on water at the usual spot." Naomi stopped and stared at Itachi, eyes wide with surprise. He pretended not to notice and continued. "Sasuke, you and Naomi will work on this." He tossed them a scroll to which the younger brother caught, still wondering what was going on. "There is a clearing in that direction and I want you to go there and do as the scroll says."

"Come on, Sakura-chan! We'll perfect it this time!" With a burst of energy, Naruto ran towards the pond determined to walk on water without losing his concentration. Being too enthusiastic about training again, he didn't even notice the tension he had left behind. Sakura, with more composure, followed her blond companion after whispering a 'good luck' to Naomi. She, too, noticed how the girl didn't interact with Sasuke.

"I will be monitoring everyone from a distance, so do not think of slacking off or disobeying me." Itachi suddenly had an air of seriousness around him. As if he was challenging them to do anything other than train according to his schedule. "Now go. You are wasting your precious time."

The girl frowned but turned and began tree hopping to the said clearing. Sasuke, on the other hand, raised a curious brow at Itachi who only smiled at him before he finally followed after the girl. Once both groups were clearly a good distance away, he produced two shadow clones and they immediately went in either direction. "I'm not surprised that she didn't sense you." He turned around and politely bowed at the man who took a seat upon a boulder, "Jiraiya-sama."

"As if a child would be able to sense Jiraiya the Great!" He laughed and closed the notebook in his hand, stowing it away in his bag. Placing his hands on his knees, he leaned forward as if he was about to learn a secret. "But for a bunch of brats, they sure are good for their generation at that age." He rubbed his chin in thought. "Have you taught them how to sense chakras?"

He shook his head. "I have not. We have only done two chakra controlling exercises and basic taijutsu. I have not taught them anything else, however today the training will be brought up a notch. It has been their own abilities that have brought them this far." Itachi explained that Sasuke and Naruto were rivals, yet worked incredibly well together and pushed each other to do better. They fought, but that's what boys did anyway. Sakura excels in chakra control and is improving on bringing up her strength and stamina as training exhausted her, but that was normal for her age. Naomi has the inability to speak, but she is able to grasp concepts quickly and act accordingly.

"Focusing on taijutsu was for her sake, huh?" Jiraiya crossed his arms, thinking. "I feel as if another Maito Gai will come out of this." He shuddered at the thought, just imagining the green jump suit was horrible enough.

"I believe she is capable of ninjutsu regardless of her inability to speak."

"Anything suspicious happen?"

"Did you not feel that chakra spike earlier?" Itachi always had an eye on the Uzumaki duo via shadow clone until he met them for training. Otherwise he would be personally keeping a lookout for them and have the clone where he was supposed to be. "Surely that must have caused an alarm to any ninja nearby. It is quite curious, is it not?"

He definitely felt it and to say in the least he was very alarmed. "So you say…" Jiraiya did not look convinced. Sometimes he forgot he was talking to a teenage boy than an adult in his middle age. He had been keeping a watchful eye on the two Uzumaki's the past month and was impressed by Naruto's determination to get stronger. Not for his sake alone, but for the sake of others and to become the village's Hokage. It brought back some memories of people he once knew and found it amusing. But the two of them weren't yet at the stage he deemed suitable enough for taking them away to train. Perhaps he could convince the Hokage to change his mind since he didn't find it possible to take them away at this point. The rest of their conversation lingered in his mind which regarded the two.

...

_He narrowed his eyes in contemplation but merely sighed. It was true, in the perspective of one raised and trained in the ways of a ninja it was quite an obvious fact. Regardless of being an adult or a mere child, memory loss was quite problematic; whether intentionally or not. Sarutobi did have one other concrete piece of evidence, but it was not the time for such a grave matter. It would not be healthy for Konohagakure or that of his former student to know; at least for now._

"_Does it displease you that you will be taking charge of two children whom have yet to go through the academy?"_

_His student stared and frowned at him. "I still don't see what the big deal is. I know he is Minato's child so I have an obligation to teach him like I once did his father." Jiraiya crossed his arms as usual, "but I wasn't planning that until he at least passed the Chuunin exams or if he showed potential earlier than that."He crossed the room and walked to the window behind the Hokage desk. "You are up to something, Sensei. You always are."_

_Sarutobi smiled. Although Orochimaru was his brightest student, Jiraiya always had a talent for quickly assessing the situation with what little information was given to him and acting on what he thought was best. Perhaps that was why Jiraiya was disheartened when his teammate and friend fell and turned a blind eye to everything Orochimaru once worked hard for._

"_Since you have doubt, whatever it may be, go witness it with your own eyes." He crossed his hands under his chin, "I will give you a maximum of one year to observe. No more and no less. You _will_ be leaving with the two of them in a year's time, Jiraiya."_

_..._

_Eleven more months left until I am forced with taking care of some bratty kids. Oh how the great has fallen._

No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't quite figure out why the child was a younger image of Naruto's mother, Kushina. He had been caught off guard when he first saw what they looked like. Naruto was a miniature Minato but with whiskers that marked him as the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki. He definitely inherited his mother's loud personality and quick temper but had his father's will to protect others. Naomi on the other hand was a spitting image of a younger Kushina with short hair. She radiated the same relaxed nature as Minato which made others feel comfortable around him. The red hair was an Uzumaki trait, but it was mysterious that the girl even had the facial features as Kushina. Even if his sensei officially passed it off as their distant relative, he knew there was something else. But he knew one thing. She couldn't be their child because they would have felt the second chakra while Kushina was still in pregnancy. Even when she had given birth, Sarutobi himself claimed that only one child was born that fateful day and it wasn't Naomi.

"Ah." Itachi interrupted his thoughts and returned his attention to him. "Naomi is most likely a sensory type. She had already acquired the skill before training had begun." Jiraiya absently nodded. "Naruto also shows signs of being able to sense chakras but not as precise yet. If he practices in that field, he could master it in a couple of more yea-" He paused as a rush of information flooded into his mind.

"Hm?"

"It has been defeated." His eyes turned dark.

"Which shadow clone?"

He started running. "Go to Naruto and Sakura!"

"Ehhh?" He jumped off the boulder and followed the boy. Jiraiya sensed the urgency in his tone and called out again, "Didn't you just make them fight the clone?"

The children weren't strong enough to defeat a clone of his yet. They had more to do before he even considered them capable of defeating someone of his level, even if it were just a shadow clone. "That is not possible. It was only to watch over them from afar!" Itachi sped up and said one last thing. "Someone else attacked and they're not from here…" This made them run towards the children even more. How could they have not sensed any intruders? They didn't have time to alert the Hokage and prayed it wouldn't be as bad as they thought it would be. They were wrong.

A surge of ominous chakra came from the direction they were so desperately running to.

* * *

He laughed as his head emerged from the water's surface. His blonde hair went flat against his head, water dripping off of it from various directions. Naruto had eagerly jumped onto the water as soon as they arrived at the makeshift pond Itachi had created for their training. Since he owned no swimming trunks, he always trained in his usual white shirt and black shorts. Although he now brought extra clothes to change into since it began to get chillier. He could walk on water well enough but as soon as his attention was elsewhere, he would fall through. He needed to figure out how to do it as if it was second nature to him. His female counterpart did better and had actually already mastered walking on water a week ago. She continued to join the rest of them and gave pointers if they had trouble. She mentioned something about feeling then moving along with the flow of the water.

"What are you reading?" He plopped down beside her, towel over his shoulders.

She moved the scroll she had unraveled closer to him. "Sensei gave this to me before we left them. It talks about how training will only get harder starting today. It also says what we have to do today." She watched as he folded his towel and used it as a makeshift pillow as he lied down on the grass, closing his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be training?" This was the first time they were actually alone together. She felt naturally comfortable around him; maybe it was because he saved her that day with Naomi. Even if he didn't she probably wouldn't feel awkward around him. He was one of the few boys, other than Sasuke, than she actually spoke to. She was normally too shy to talk to them, but she felt a connection to the two boys she saw on a regular basis. She couldn't figure out why though.

"Aren't _you_ supposed to be training?" He opened a playful eye to peek at her before he closed them, grinning. "I always feel sleepy in the afternoon." Naruto yawned to prove his point.

"You'll get sick."

"Nuh uh. Hokage's don't get sick."

She rolled her eyes. "You're not a Hokage."

He grinned wider. "Yet." Turning onto his side, he rested his head on one hand as he looked at her. "Why aren't you scared of me?"

Sakura tilted her head at him, he found that surprisingly cute. "Should I be?"

He stared at her, blue against emerald green. "Your mom and dad…" A hint of sadness was in his voice. "They tell you not to talk or play with me like everyone else, right?"

She blinked at him and thoughtfully dug deep inside her heart. She wasn't the least bit worried about what her parents told her. Sakura respected her parents, but they didn't bother getting to know him. However it was a secret from them that he was one of the reasons why she had been staying out all the time. She smiled at him, "I don't really care about that." Sakura placed a gentle hand on his cheek, covering the whisker marks. "You're my friend, Naruto. Friends stick together, right?"

His eyes watered as his chest tightened, touched by the girl's simple words. "Thank you, Sakura-chan." He wiped his eyes before it got worse. She was someone he had come to notice a long time ago. Her pink hair stood out but he thought it was a nice color. Her presence had been etched into him before he realized it, but kept his distance from her. It would've been hard to believe back then that they would be friends now.

Sakura actually remembered the time she first saw him. People surrounded him like a wall and whispered words of distaste towards him. He cried alone and there were no sign of his parents or what friends he may have had. Curiosity was her weakness and she squeezed through the wall of people to catch a glimpse of him. He was wearing his usual white t-shirt and black shorts. His face was covered because he frantically wiped away tears but he had nice blonde hair, like the color of the sun. She wanted to speak to him, but her mother pulled her away as if she would be infected with a disease and told her to stay away from him. That was a year ago and she thought he looked like a nice boy and nothing like what the other kids thought of him to be. She was broken from her thoughts when she found herself sprayed with water. She looked next to her and found only the towel he had used. Naruto was back on, or rather in the pond and had sprayed her to get her attention.

"That's cold!" She exclaimed before running over the water until she was next to him.

He mischievously grinned and unexpectedly pulled on her foot, causing her to lose her balance and unceremoniously fell into the water. Her clothes were now soaked and weighed her down a little underwater. She glared at him as he laughed loudly. Sakura cupped her hands and sprayed a thin but fast stream of water at him. He quickly dove under to avoid and came up on the other side and sprayed back. What was supposed to be chakra training turned into an all out water war. Sometimes he'd get her and other times she would, but most missed their mark on purpose. She hadn't played this much in water before. It was so much fun!

When they called a truce to their war, Naruto stood on the water, laughing. "Oh man! I wish Sasuke and Nao-chan could've joined us!" Sakura swam to where water met land to sit down. "You're really fun, Sakura-chan! I like being your friend!"

She giggled. She didn't know if it was moving around in the water with so much effort or the simple compliment he just said that made her giddy. "Sensei will really scold us later. He's still watching us!"

"Don't mind, don't mind!" He gave an okay sign, "I can finally do this without falling in! I think I was scared of falling in and drowning, but after our water fight it disappeared." Naruto smiled triumphantly in his soaked clothes and she couldn't help but smile along with him.

"Congratulations! But now we have to do the other stuff on the list. Help me increase my stamina since I helped with this." She completely pulled herself out of the water began to squeeze out any water in her clothes. She wasn't planning on getting soaked so she had no change of clothes.

"…geh." He muttered weakly.

She frowned. "There's no room for complaining! You're going to be the Hokage, right?" Although she half-heartedly believed his goal to be Hokage, she didn't know what it took to be one in the first place.

"R-run…Sakura-chan…"

Confused, she turned around wondering why he told her to run. She guessed because her stamina was lower than the others, she could run laps to slowly bring it up. But what she found was terrifying, especially in the eyes of a child. Behind Naruto was a masked man with a cloak. His mask was orange, it had one hole for his right eye and his black hair spiked out at different ends. But what horrified her was the gaping hole in Naruto's stomach. He began to bleed excessively as the man pulled out his hand and the boy helplessly sank into the water, the blood turning it red.

To say in the least, she was mortified and tears rolled down her cheeks. He was hurt really bad and there was lots of blood. He was basically dying in front of her eyes. "N-naruto!" She managed to croak, her fear prevented her from moving her legs to run to him. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't. She was still too weak to do anything.

_Nooo! Naruto!_

"Hmph." The man bent down and pulled Naruto up enough so that his head was above water. She couldn't see but the man's eye turned red as the boy weakly looked at him. The amount of blood he was losing was unbearably high. "Awaken!"

The bleeding unnoticeably stopped as Naruto went limp in his hold. A switch turned on inside of him, unlocking a great surge of chakra from the boy. It was so strong that it sent Sakura flying from her position and slammed against a tree. She hit her head hard on it and succumbed to unconsciousness. Her last image was of Naruto being engulfed in something red before she blacked out.

"RRRAAAAAHHH!" The man let go of the boy and had jumped back a safe distance. Naruto's whisker marks appeared thicker, his nails grew, and his hair was more spiked from the chakra. A strange red cloak of chakra now surrounded him, one tail was visible and long ears protruded from around the boys head. The boy no longer had control of his body as he continued to yell with a feral growl into the sky above. Something of which could reach the whole of Konohagakure. Something that the elder generations knew very well.

The Kyuubi's chakra.

* * *

They reached the clearing not long after splitting up from the others. Sasuke couldn't tell if the girl was angry at having to be paired up with him. Her expression showed no hints of that thought whatsoever, similar to that mask when he puts up in front of his fan girls. He couldn't exactly communicate well with her without Naruto around. The blonde was basically the translator for them. Sakura had only started to learn a few signs last week, so she wasn't as fluent as him. The red head either signed her words or wrote invisible characters in the air to get her message across. Sometimes he actually found Naruto responding to her before she even finished signing her words to him. He found that odd.

It really was a big clearing, there were trees surrounding the area, but otherwise the field was flat, no signs of rocks either. "Hey." He unraveled the scroll as he called out to her. She didn't seem to hear him though. He tried again. "Naomi." This time she looked and actually walked over to him. "Uh, let's read." She nodded her consent and held the scroll so she could read it with him. He could faintly smell the scent of strawberries from her. Did that have to do with her hair color?

Apparently they were supposed to work on communication and she was to teach him how to use sign language. Itachi explained that being quiet and secretive in exchanging information to others was very important as a ninja. It was an ability that could easily change the missions flow. They didn't understand it really well, but they guessed it was for something when they were older and placed on teams.

"I guess I could learn." She raised an eyebrow at him in contemplation then pulled out a book from her bag and held it out to him. He read the title and saw that it was a book on how to sign for beginners. "Is this what you and Naruto used?" She nodded again and sat down cross legged on the ground, motioning for him to sit in front of her.

So far so good since it didn't look like she was going to protest teaching him. He sat down, crossed his legs, and opened the book to the first page. He wasn't going to tell her that he was forcing himself to learn something other than hand signs for ninjutsu. Sasuke wasn't ready for another kick to his shin. He sat there for a good fifteen minutes just reading and forming the most basic of the signs. Some were easy, others he had to force his fingers to comply with him. It was frustrating, but he endured it and began to understand how to form certain words. His Uchiha pride wouldn't let him give up on something like learning a new language.

He broke away from the page he was on to look at Naomi. She hadn't moved from her spot either and was actually studying him as he went through the book. He decided to try talking to her using what he just learned. He slowly signed, 'I like cheese.'

Her lips twitched, but she didn't smile. 'Why cheese?'

'Teeth.' As if to emphasize his point, he showed his teeth. His mom told him that cheese was good for growing healthy teeth and he actually found the odd taste satisfying. 'You?'

She pulled out another item from her bag and took off the cover, placing it on the space between them. 'This.' It was a small container of red fruits with green leaves at the base; strawberries. So that's what it was he smelled earlier.

"Show me more signs. I can learn a bit faster instead of copying the pictures in the book." Sasuke closed the book and placed it next to the fruit container. She wrote on the ground with a stick and then showed him how to sign it. Whenever his fingers were placed awkwardly, she'd move closer and correct it. When her small fingers touched his, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Ah, you know…" She stopped writing with the stick and stared up at him. They were now sitting side-by-side because it was easier for Naomi to reach over to him.

'What?'

"About that time…um…" She tilted her head curiously, wondering just what he was talking about. His throat clogged and he didn't know how to say it. Why did he even bring up the topic? He looked stupid for trying to apologize. The Uchiha in him prevented him from saying what he wanted. He suddenly stood up to get away, "I need to _go_." That was half-true. He hadn't realized he needed to relieve himself since he was absorbed in what they were doing. The other truth was that he chickened out at the last second. "I'll be right back."

"...Sasuke."

He skidded to a halt as he had started to run to do his business. "Huh?" He didn't just hear things, did he? He looked around quickly and didn't see anyone. That voice was clearly a girl's and it tickled his ears, he liked the sound of it. But what he wanted to believe couldn't be true. "Hey, was that you?" His chest tightened at what he saw. "Holy…! NAOMI!" He sprinted back towards her, grabbing her shoulders. "What's wrong? Are you okay?! HEY!" Sasuke started to panic since she was sprawled out on the ground and was breathing heavily, sweat pouring down her forehead.

'It hurts.' She weakly signed and grabbed her stomach. He thought it had to do with the strawberries she ate while they were training.

Frustrated, he threw out what remained of the strawberries a good distance away. "I'm taking you to Nii-san." He gently picked her up and managed to put her on his back, piggy back style. He found her to be surprisingly light. He grabbed her bag and hastily stuffed the scroll into it. Sasuke could feel her burning up and the sweat was beginning to soak his shirt. "Stay awake, okay?" He felt her weakly nod and started to run, hoping that the breeze would at least cool her down.

"RRRAAAAAHHH!" A loud animalistic roar echoed loudly from his left. It made his knees weak and he had to stop running or else he would have fallen over and injure both himself and the girl on his back.

"What was that?" When he realized it was coming from the area where they did their water walking exercise his chest tightened even more. Naruto and Sakura were there! Where was his brother when he needed him?! Naomi's breathing was now shallow and he feared that she would stop breathing altogether. That scared him. He needed to yell out, regardless of how futile it was, for his brother.

"Kuu..." Something rubbed against his leg before it jumped onto the girl. "Kuu kuu."

"What…" He didn't have time to understand what it was or what happened before he was engulfed in a blinding light.


	4. Chapter 3 - Moving on

AN: I love reading your reviews because it _really_ helps on how to make each chapter better than the last. Although parts of this will probably go too fast…

**25BAM50**, Me, too! Even I don't know what's going to happen! - **demonfox2140**, Ooh a lot of brainstorming there, but where's the fun in telling you everything? Hehe. - **THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ**, I can neither confirm nor deny that!

* * *

"You said everything would be okay!" He had believed him beyond belief, as a child his age would. "YOU PROMISED ME!" The boy struggled against the stern grip of an Anbu. He was furious as angry tears pooled his eyes but didn't fall. He was yelling inside a public place. "NII-SAN!" He was currently in a hospital room, guarded by the Anbu that now held him. He had been confined in the hospital for the last two weeks because it was now the beginning of December. It was colder, but snow had not yet fallen.

He disapproved of the boy's childish outburst. Perhaps the blonde Uzumaki had rubbed off on him more than he thought. "Stop it, Sasuke. This is a hospital and there are other people here. Learn your place." That didn't satisfy the boy, but Sasuke gritted his teeth to keep himself from saying more unnecessary things. "It is best that you forget the events up until now."

That didn't sit well with him. He had so many questions but he knew he wasn't going to get the answer he wanted. "I don't get it! _You_ were the one who told us to get along! I can't-" He wiped the stray tears with his free arm and glared at his brother. "I WON'T forget my friends."

Itachi didn't show any emotion, but was secretly glad. He had missed the edgy personality his brother carried. He was proud that Sasuke could boldly say they were his friends without hesitation now. The younger Uchiha had been unconscious during the first week, but had woken up much to the relief of their parents. Although why it had taken that long was another story. "It is too late for that, Sasuke. You will not see Naruto anymore. Do you understand?"

He ignored him and voiced his feelings. "Is he okay? Sakura, too?" He seemed to have calmed down as the Anbu had released him and now stood by the window with a watchful eye. "Where are they?" He had not seen either of them since he had woken up. For some reason he had been monitored like a hawk even though nothing was wrong with him. Maybe it was because he was the youngest of the well regarded Uchiha clan.

"Sakura was released more than a week ago and is at home recuperating." He explained as subtle as he could. "You have permission to continue seeing her. Her parents requested it." After the head injury she had acquired, it was a wonder she didn't suffer any internal brain damage. But the after effects of the trauma were a bit too much for her. "Naruto is perfectly healthy, but I cannot tell you his whereabouts." Itachi carefully watched his reaction at this piece of information, no matter how tired the boy was of hearing it.

He frowned, but his heart lifted at the thought of his friends being okay even if he couldn't see them. He had been worried since he couldn't exactly remember what had happened that day. Sasuke feeling relieved, made to leave the room. It was about time to go again and he didn't want to be late. After being told he couldn't see Naruto of all people, he was more anxious than before.

"Where are you going?" His brother asked, feigning curiosity. He knew where Sasuke always went at this time of day.

He stopped at the door when the Anbu blocked the exit. "You know where." He glared up at the masked ninja. "To see my friend. Can you move, Mister?!" The man didn't budge from his spot so he turned to his brother. "I can't be late, I said I wouldn't be. Tell him to move, Nii-san." He saw a flicker of sadness in the older boy's eyes. A feeling of dread suddenly filled him. He spun around and began hitting the Anbu's leg in desperation. He needed to go, he needed to go now! If only he had the strength to throw the man before him out of the way. But as he was still a child, there was no chance of that happening.

"Sasuke." The tone in his brother's voice wasn't a pleasant sound.

"NO! I won't hear it!" He sank to the floor, covering his ears. Anything that had come out of his brother's mouth had been nothing but bad news. He was tired of listening to him. No more bad stuff, he didn't want it. This wasn't supposed to happen. They should be training right now like before! He clutched a piece of his hospital gown and wished that everything was all a dream.

Itachi noticed this and crouched down, telling him what he should know whether he liked it or not. He needed to understand as it was a part of life that could not be avoided. "You must overcome this, Sasuke." The boy flinched back when he reached out to him. He hardened his eyes, grabbed the boy's chin and forced his attention onto him. "A ninja must learn to move on from someone's death." They stared at each other. "Even if that someone is a friend."

He broke away from Itachi and faced the ground, silently pounding the tiled floor with a clenched fist. "No…no…" It felt like his heart was being squeezed and he found it hard to breathe between his cries. Sasuke grabbed a fistful of his brother's shirt and fiercely cried out, "You're lying to me!" He had to be! It was just yesterday that he had gone to visit. He did it for a whole week since he had woken up and hadn't missed a day of it.

Itachi sighed as if to say he was tired of repeatedly telling him the truth. "Confirm it with your own eyes." He nodded towards the Anbu and he moved out of the way. "Go."

Sasuke didn't need to be told twice and let go of the older Uchiha. He clumsily fumbled with the door, sliding it roughly to the side before running into the hall to the other end where he knew she would be. His feet took him there without effort and he forced the door to slide open. The room looked identical to his with the white bed, window, white walls and gray tiled flooring. The only difference was the body covered by the thin white blanket on the bed.

He slowly walked across the small room, his bare feet lightly tapping against the cold floor, and sat on the bed. She looked like she was sleeping with her hands clasped on her abdomen. All the wires had been removed from her, making the room eerily quiet without the constant beeping of a machine. He reached out to hold her hand and found her body temperature was still warm, but below normal and getting cooler by the minute.

"Hey, you're alive, right?" Silence. Of course it was silent, she couldn't speak, but he definitely heard someone call his name before. "You can hear me! C'mon! Sign something!" He placed the hand he held next to her other one and waited. No matter how long he sat there, there was no response. He bit his trembling lip, "Please…wake up…" He placed his ear on her chest.

There was no sign of movement from her. No breath of air flowing through her. Most importantly, there was no heart beat.

It felt like someone pierced a kunai through his heart. "I…didn't say...I'm sorry," Tears rolled down his cheeks, but he didn't cry out. His throat was hurting from overuse. Sitting up again, he clenched his left hand in his lap and angrily stared at her for letting herself die. He had started to have a better opinion of her, but she had to die. He knew better than to blame her, but that was all he could do. He was powerless to do anything.

"Kuu."

Sasuke's eyes widened and looked in the direction of the familiar sound. He ran over to the window, leaving the girl's side. Finding nothing on the window sill except for the lotus in a clear glass vase, he peered outside into the cold morning. It was definitely the same voice he heard before he fainted. Whatever that thing was, it must have been a hallucination. Returning to the bed his heart felt heavy as he stared at the girl's peaceful expression. She was never going to open her eyes.

A forced smile filled with gloom etched onto his facial features, "An Uchiha can't show weakness in front of others." Holding her hand once again, he silently cried into the bed sheets. If only he had gotten to know her better a lot sooner. If only he hadn't said that she couldn't be a ninja. If only he was stronger, she might have still been alive. These thoughts would continue to haunt him for the rest of his life.

Uzumaki Naomi was no longer of this world.

* * *

Sarutobi slowly paced the room, deep in thought. He was very busy dealing with the cover up regarding the recent events. It was one thing after another and nothing eased the aging man's poor soul. The Anbu had reported to him no signs of intrusion, yet something or someone had awakened the sleeping beast within the boy. It was too soon for the young Uzumaki to have discovered what he held in his body. Jiraiya was currently looking after him as the hospital was too open of a space if whoever it was infiltrated would return.

And then there was another important matter he was in right now.

They were in a special room that connected to a hallway which also leads to his sealed meeting room. "Hokage-sama?" The woman gazed at him questioningly after having watched him pace the room many times. He stopped again, facing the woman, wondering if there was something else she hadn't already told him. "She's…slowly leaving us." The woman heaved a heavy sigh filled with many emotions. "I can't see her getting any better. It has been two weeks since her health began to deteriorate."

"Perhaps she is more connected to Naruto than we had originally thought."

The woman carefully wiped the patient's forehead with a cloth. "There is no doubt that she is." She twisted the cloth to let out the excess water and left it on the table. "I hate seeing her like this."

"Now, now." He patted her shoulder reassuringly. "You know she is quite the fighter."

She smiled. "Yes, I do."

"She will be healthy once again and then we will have our work cut out for ourselves once more."

She laughed at this, knowing all too well what he meant. "I very much miss that and I prepare myself every time I return here to see her open her eyes."

Sarutobi became distracted, having caught a flicker of a shadow from the side of the bed. He didn't sense any chakra so it wasn't anything to worry about, but he was still cautious. "Hm." He walked over to the side of the bed, wondering if it was just a trick of the light. Underneath the bed had nothing either, however his companion emitted a gasp. He looked towards her pointing finger, eyes focused on something furry and small. It was on the bed, sitting above the patient's head.

"What is that?" The woman stood up, staring at the critter and having a sense that she knew what it was, but couldn't quite pinpoint what. Its fur had a mix of golden yellow and sunset orange. She had a strange feeling of calmness when she stared into its eyes as it stared at her.

It began to chant.

"Kuukuu kuu," It glowed and touched the tip of its nose to the patient's forehead; she began to glow faintly. "Kuu." The room erupted in a bright light, seemingly forever but in reality was only a few seconds. When the light eventually dispersed, the little creature had as well. What they now saw, however, was the patient sitting up in bed and clutching her head.

She groaned, massaging her temples. "I feel like…someone dropped…a ton of rocks on…me. Or I got drunk…and this is a _really_…bad…hangover." It took a lot of effort to talk properly from lack of use.

The other woman in the room stared in shock before recovering and hugging the woman in bed quite happily. "You're awake! I thought we were going to lose you…"

"Lose me?" She held the woman at arm's length, a confused expression. "Mikoto, you're not…making…any sense."

Mikoto smiled at hearing her name. Oh how she missed her. "Well…" She absentmindedly looked towards the Hokage.

The patient followed her gaze and her eyes widened in slight surprise. "Sarutobi-sama!" She bowed her head out of respect for him and he nodded back at her. "Wait a minute. Where am I exactly?" She looked around her surroundings, not recognizing the room. It was a given she wouldn't because only so few entered here or knew about the place. Her curiosity didn't last long when another thought invaded her mind. "Naruto! Where's Naruto?!" She coughed suddenly and Mikoto immediately brought a glass of water to her and she drank it, muttering a thank you.

"He is with Jiraiya."

"He's alright, isn't he?!"

"He is a strong and willful boy."

She visibly relaxed and started to notice the differences between what they looked now and how she remembered them. They both looked a little older, but not by a lot. It felt like she had been sleeping a lot longer than she would have liked. Her muscles felt out of place as she moved her arms, she didn't even want to try standing up.

"Boy? Of course he's a boy!" She rolled her eyes, "I hope my baby won't take after me when he grows up." She unconsciously rubbed her flat belly.

Mikoto received the signal from the Hokage. "He's not a baby anymore." The woman raised an eyebrow at her. "Kushina-san, you have been in a coma for four years. You must have noticed by now."

"Four years?" She gripped the bed sheets, emotions boiling inside her. She didn't know whether to be confused, glad, worried, or angry. Only one thought invaded her mind. "I want to see Naruto."

"You cannot." Sarutobi shook his head. "As I said before, he is with Jiraiya and will be with him until I permit them to return."

Her chakra flared, "PERMIT them?" Mikoto held her friend's arm as a preventive measure. "He is my son and I will not have him growing up under that perverted sensei of Minato's!"

Hokage and Mother stared at each other, not backing down. Sarutobi decided to divert her attention, dismissing Mikoto from the room; this was not for her ears. The woman complied and promised to return tomorrow and left; no one knew of her little excursions. Once she was gone, he turned his eyes on Kushina who in turn was still glaring at him.

"Do you remember the day you gave birth?"

"Of course. It was the scariest and happiest day of my life." She smiled, her temper simmering down.

"Was there anything odd that happened before the intruder arrived?"

"I don't know why you're asking, you were there."

Indeed he was, but he was getting older and he wanted to be sure his memory was correct. "Naomi, does the name sound familiar?"

Kushina's heart jumped at the name, yet she didn't know why. She did not know of anyone named Naomi, yet she felt a connection. "The name strikes me, but I do not know her."

"I see." Sarutobi knew she was going to say that, but it still bothered him. Something was missing. "I will tell you more next time. Rest and eat to return your strength. We will argue more at another time." He gently smiled as Kushina frowned at him when he left.

The door clicked in place behind him as she shouted, "I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!" To which he chuckled at, once again dwelling in his thoughts.

_If Kushina does not know Naomi, then where is the answer that we are all searching for?_

* * *

He stared at the door, ignoring the curious looks he got from people passing. He lightly knocked on the door before stuffing his hand back into his shorts pocket. Feet shuffled on the other side of the door before it swung open, revealing a light brown haired woman. She was expecting him and let him into her home, signaling which room he was looking for. Her husband was out, but he would have had no complaints for their visitor. Again, he knocked on a door. He was in no mood to talk, but he had been avoiding it since he had been discharged four days ago.

"It's open." The voice inside announced and he walked in. There she was, sitting by the window with a blanket draped over her shoulders. "Sasuke!" Immediately she jumped from her spot and ran up to him, holding him at arm's length to make sure it wasn't a genjutsu. "I'm really happy you're okay…"

He clenched his jaw, "…"

"Sasuke?" She looked into his eyes and saw he had dark bags underneath them. Wasn't he getting enough sleep?

He wanted to know what she knew. "Did they tell you?"

She let go of his arms, a frown etched upon her features. There was only one thing she knew. "How we can't see Naruto? Yes, I know." She became depressed at the thought of not seeing him. Although it was only a short time, she liked having him as a friend. He made things more fun and bubbly. He managed to make her smile even without a reason. "I miss him."

"Me, too." He sat down on the wooden floor, legs crossed as he held his head up with one hand and the other lazily resting on his knee. "It's not the same without both of them." Sasuke didn't care if he was being too open; he was with Sakura and he trusted her.

"Naomi, too? They only told me I can't see Naruto." She sat on the floor next to him, legs stretched out. "I was planning on looking for her so I can ask her if she knows where he is and then play with her." She side-glanced him, "Did you see Naomi? I've been stuck at home since they let me go."

He clenched his right hand, annoyed at the fact Sakura was kept in the dark. "She's gone."

She tilted her head innocently, "Is she with Naruto? They're family, after all."

Sasuke shook his head, the air around him becoming tense. "She…died..." Looking away from her, he clenched both his fists to keep himself from releasing tears. He was too afraid to sleep because the image of her in her deathbed kept appearing when he closed his eyes. When he did sleep with what he could, he would wake up in a cold sweat.

"Wh-what?" She grabbed his shoulder, making him face her. The look in his eyes suddenly made sense and she was at a loss for words. It took a couple minutes before it hit her. Naomi was gone. Unable to control it, she began to cry. Sasuke just sat there. He figured she needed to let it out as she was a little closer to her than he was. He couldn't look at her, though he thought that, he couldn't help but join her with his own silent tears. They were children and they couldn't control it. Sadness was sadness and that meant they needed to cry, despite them not wanting to.

"I…was with her…I couldn't do anything…she died in the hospital."

"...oh, Sasuke." She took a hold of his free hand and held it; he gripped her hand in return. It gave them some sort of comfort knowing that the other felt the same pain as they did. "She's really dead?" He numbly nodded. "Naomi…Naomi…" She muttered, not bothering to wipe her tears as it would only increase if she did.

Sakura felt like she could rely on the girl no matter what happened, much like how she felt Naruto would. Whenever they teamed up, they didn't need to discuss their attack, they would just go and immediately knew what the other was going to do. It was like they were reading each other's thoughts. Now that she thought about it, it nearly happened when Naruto would team up with her, too. Not as quick since she felt he was watching her closely rather than reading her thoughts.

"Naruto…I hope he's okay…"

His head shot up, hand tensing in her hold. He hadn't thought of it before. "He…I don't think…he knows…"

Her eyes widened surprise. "He _has_ to know, it's his _sister_ that d-died!" Her throat caught as she uttered the word. It felt so unnatural to actually say it out loud. It was a foreign word to her and she didn't really understand the concept of someone dying; other than not being able to see them ever again.

"Maybe that's why we can't see him." Sasuke looked hopeful. "He found out about Naomi and…" He sighed, frustrated. "I don't know."

"When you went to her room, was there anything you noticed besides her?"

"Nothing really." He furrowed his brows in thought. He didn't see the need to tell her about the voice he heard a second time. "The room was the same as mine." In truth, he hadn't really noticed much of anything because he had been mourning over the girl.

"That's all?"

"Well…the lotus flower was fresh in the vase because someone kept coming to change…it…" A light bulb went off. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

She grinned. "It has to be Naruto. I mean no one really brings patients a lotus, right?" She knew because she had visited Ino's shop before and was forced to listen to things the blonde had learned. One of them was how the hospital always ordered simple red tulips or white daisies to decorate the hospital rooms.

"And it stopped when she…" He stopped. Sasuke still didn't have the heart to say it more than once.

"…became invisible." Her lips twisted into a smile.

"Ha ha ha." He chuckled half-heartedly since it was partially true. They wouldn't be able to see her anymore so she might as well be invisible to them.

"Hey." Sakura patted his shoulder. "Let's get stronger."

"…for her." He added on.

"For her." She agreed. "Before Naruto becomes Hokage."

"Then we have _lots_ of time before that happens." She smacked his arm playfully and they laughed, wiping their tear stained faces that had dried.

The things that Naomi wasn't able to do anymore, they would do it in her place. Because she wasn't there to prove the world wrong that someone mute could very well indeed become a ninja, a great one. They had a new goal to strive for, but their hearts were still heavy with sadness and filled with many questions that were refused to be answered.

This was when it all started.

* * *

**Eight years later…**

"That's all for today! Be careful going home and make sure to practice for the test tomorrow! It'll determine if you will become a genin. If you fail, you will be repeating the course all over again. I'm sure you'd love to continue to learn under me, but I can't have you here all the time. So study study study!" The teacher, Umino Iruka, exclaimed and left the room to review important documents and mark the quiz he gave out today. The class had cheered, albeit some groaned at the thought of studying, but mainly happy that the day was done. It meant they could go out and play!

A small group of girls hovered near the desk of Uchiha Sasuke, the one holding the place of the second highest mark in the class. The boys watched the group with tired eyes, they were at it again and they never got tired of it. Only one girl didn't fawn over him and that was Haruno Sakura, his best friend and held the rank for number one in the class. All the girls were jealous of her because he treated her differently than the rest and she had the brains to match his. Some thought that they were more than friends, but were proven wrong by Sakura, and sometimes Sasuke himself, many times. They were friends, but the air around them was always different when they were together. This stirred up many rumors which led to distancing themselves from their classmates, yet still close enough to interact with.

Plus they spoke in their own special language that no one else bothered to learn.

He turned to Sakura and signed, 'Want to get out of here?'

'Where to?'

'Anywhere but here,' He nodded towards the group of girls. 'Such a pain.'

She laughed. 'You almost sound like Shikamaru, but you're just _so_ popular with the ladies.' He frowned at this and she merely grinned at him in return, she knew it annoyed him.

'Damn it, Sakura, let's just go!' He got up, grabbed his bag and left his chair for the exit.

She rolled her eyes at his retreating back before turning to their classmates. "Sorry, he's in a bad mood. You know how Sasuke-kun is." She hastily explained before grabbing her own bag and running after him. He was already outside of the academy grounds when she caught up. "Geez, Sasuke, do you really have to do that every time?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "It's the only way to escape them."

"Whatever. Want to eat the usual?" He nodded in agreement and let their feet take them to their destination.

They had both grown over the last few years. They were both taller and were smarter as they had put any free time they had from training into reading books. Sasuke excelled in ninjutsu, while Sakura excelled in genjutsu, but they practiced in what they were weak in to a point where no one could tell it was. Although everyone knew they trained together, no one knew exactly where. Many times they were being followed by curious minds, but they always lost track of them. How they were so strong for twelve year olds was a big mystery they had.

The scent of food pervaded the air as they neared the restaurant. Lifting the flap they entered and sat down on the stools at the bar. They placed their order, Sasuke getting the special ramen and Sakura with miso pork ramen.

"Itadakimasu." They said in unison before breaking their chopsticks and digging into their food. It was common knowledge that this was their regular meeting place once class let out. They started going to Ichiraku Ramen when they were younger as Naruto had mentioned it to them many times; they made the best ramen in the world. It became a part of their daily life because it reminded them of their friend. Deep down the two had always hoped to see him there eating when they entered. No luck yet.

"What do you think the test is?" Sakura paused to drink a glass of water. "It sounds like a basic test, but there's something else."

"I know it's a clone test. And there should be another test once we get into teams."

"Yeah, I figured as much. It sounds too easy for that to be the only test for becoming a genin." She pushed her bowl away from her since she was done. He had finished his bowl quicker than her. "Who do you think will be teamed with us?"

He smirked. "What makes you think we'll be teamed together?"

"Would you rather have a fan girl in your team?" He vigorously shook his head and she smirked back at him. "So who?"

"None."

"No one up to our standards, huh?"

"Well we have two brains so we need an idiot to balance out our team." He playfully grinned at her, "And he's not here."

Sakura slapped his back in response. "He's not an idiot."

"Oh? Have you been secretly meeting him and haven't told me?"

She frowned, "Of course not!"

Sasuke leaned close to her ear, grinning. "You may like him, but that doesn't change anything. He's still an idiot." He immediately ran away from her after slamming down the money for his food. A head start was always a good thing.

Her face was red, whether from fury or embarrassment, only she knew. "Sasukeeeeee!" She left her portion of the cost of food on the bar counter and ran after him. It was one thing to press her buttons, but another to tease her out in the open. He could get away with it and he knew that, which was why he did it in the first place. In truth, she hadn't sorted out her feelings for Naruto so she was confused if she liked him more than a friend. No one had seen the blonde boy since that fateful day and she really missed him. Sasuke missed him as well but now he wouldn't admit that as easily as he did years ago.

"Sasuke?" He was standing in the middle of the road, his body tense as stared at something. She was behind him so she couldn't really see.

"Uh…nothing." He rubbed his eyes, blinking. It had been a long time since he started seeing things and what he thought he saw wasn't possible. "Just saw someone that looked like Na-"

"Look!" She had stepped around him and pointed out something in the distance. His heart jumped, briefly believing what he saw to be real when he thought Sakura saw what he did. He was proven wrong when a blur of orange was heading towards them at an amazing speed, faster than Sasuke at his best.

The boy skidded to a halt in front of them, a wide smile that was brighter than the setting sun. "Sasuke! Sakura-chan!" He immediately hugged each of them, one in each arm. "I'm so glad to see you guys!" He was hoping to see them when he got back into the village, but he found them quicker than he thought. He thought he wouldn't be able to see either of them until tomorrow. He broke away from the hug, missing Sakura's disappointment, as he looked at their appearance. "You guys look super strong!" He nodded in approval at how different they were than the last time he saw them. Sakura looked prettier with her longer hair, pink clothes with black shorts and blue ninja shoes like his own. Sasuke had the tough look about him with his navy blue shirt that had a popped collar, beige shorts, blue ninja shoes and arm bands that covered his forearms.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed happily, noting how his voice was not as childish as she remembered it. He was wearing a blue muscle shirt with an orange vest, orange pants and blue ninja shoes. He had lost the baby fat in his cheeks that he held as a child. "You look stronger yourself! Look at your muscles." She pointed to the ones on his arm, experimentally poking it and found it rock hard. She suddenly pulled back, eyes flaring. "How come you didn't keep in touch with us? Do you _know_ how worried we were?!" She raised a fist, waving it dangerously close to him. Her heart was thumping rapidly now that he was in front of her. Oh how she wanted to just hug him to death, but that'd be proving Sasuke's earlier point and she hated it when he was right.

He nervously laughed. "I really wanted to, but Ero-sennin kept us moving to different places. There was no way to send a letter back here without it being intercepted, so that was out of the question. He made up some really harsh training sessions to become stronger in return, but it was worth it." Naruto pumped his fist in the air towards the Hokage Monuments. "I'm closer to becoming a Hokage than before!"

She retracted her fist for now and smiled at him. "That's great." Sakura was happy to see him back and that he had not given up on his dream after all these years. "Isn't it, Sasuke?" She nudged his arm, trying to get a reaction out of him. His best friend had finally returned after many years of waiting for him and he didn't have anything to say?

The two looked at him since Sasuke was silent the entire time. An all too familiar frown was on his face. "How can you be this happy? Did you just get over her that easily?"

"Huh?"

"Don't 'Huh?' me!" He grabbed the orange vest Naruto was wearing, bringing him closer. "How can you be so happy? Don't you have the least bit of sadness in your heart?" When Sasuke looked into his blue eyes, he saw no sadness. That irked him and only raised his temper.

"What in the world are you talking about?" He grabbed Sasuke's hand and easily had him release his clothes.

"Don't answer my question with a question, Naruto!" He angrily growled. Was the blonde really that heartless?

Naruto ruffled his hair in frustration. "Tell me what it is you're trying to say. I won't understand if you don't tell me."

"I see that you're still an idiot after all these years."

"Sasuke!" She scolded him. This was not the time and place to fight. He had just returned and already they were off to a bad start.

"Tch." He scoffed in annoyance. "I pity Naomi for having a brother like you."

The blonde narrowed his eyes in slight confusion. "Why are you bringing Nao-chan into this?"

"Forget it. It's no use talking to you." Sasuke didn't give him a second glance as he left his two friends and headed home.

Naruto stood there in a complete daze, not understanding what had just happened. He had been imagining a more joyful reunion than that because it had been eight years since they saw each other. He would have understood if Sasuke yelled at him about not even saying goodbye, but yelling about Naomi was not what he had expected. "Sakura-chan, do you know what he was talking about?"

"You, of all people, should know why." She shook her head in disappointment. "I have to go study now. It was great seeing you again. I'll see you around, Naruto!" Sakura hastily told him before running in a different direction to head home, not waiting for a reply from him.

"I don't…get it…" He scratched his head, more confused than ever. Naruto wanted to return home and spend time talking with his friends. Maybe even eat some ramen in between. That didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon. He knew things would be a lot different, but he thought they could slip into their old pattern again like when they were young children. The training, free food, messing around when they weren't supposed to be, and just getting to know each other was what he had missed.

He shrugged his shoulder at no one in particular, "There's always tomorrow."


End file.
